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Auroras Lake Myvatn, Iceland

Auroras Lake Myvatn, Iceland

Stream of Light
- The moon had set, thus there was little light on the mountains. Later
that evening, the light from the aurora is reflected on the river and
illuminates it and some of the mountains. Brooks Range, Alaska. f/2.8,
20 seconds, ISO 1000, EF 16–35mm f/2.8L II USM at 16 mm, Canon EOS 5D
Mark II.

In awe of the
spectacular colors, I dreamed of seeing the northern lights and
photographing them. I called a friend, asking him to go with me to
Alaska and though auroras were on his bucket list, he wanted his first
trip to Alaska to be in summer. I promised rugged Alaskan landscapes
with fall colors like summer, but with even better colors and he agreed!
I hadn’t been to Fairbanks, Alaska before, but I was sure it would be
grand. Arriving, we were greeted with a snow-covered landscape. “Where
are the fall colors?” he asked and I quickly promised him that the
northern lights would be spectacular.

The first two nights
were completely overcast with no sign of the lights. By the third night
we could only see a hint of green color through heavy clouds. With a
promising weather forecast on the forth night, we drove north along the
Haul Road to a mountain pass and waited in the bitter cold, hoping for
clear skies and auroras.

The moon had set
below the horizon, darkening the star-filled sky. At 1 a.m. the clouds
finally cleared and the auroras appeared! They were dim at first, but at
least visible. We photographed the light show as it danced in the night
sky. It was more than I could have imagined! Curtains of light formed,
swaying with rhythmic motion, dimming and then glowing more intensely.
Excited, I watched a dream coming true. Now, my friend can’t wait to
return to photograph more of these "fall colors!"

Auroras

Auroras dance in the
night sky with amazingly colorful light. They can be seen mainly around
the North and South Pole and are referred to as aurora borealis or
northern lights in the northern hemisphere, and as aurora austrails or
southern lights in the southern hemisphere.

Auroras are created
when the Earth’s magnetic field is disturbed by charged particles from
solar winds or solar storms created by the sun. These particles, in the
form of electrons and protons, are drawn into the upper atmosphere near
the poles by the earth’s magnetic field. If they interact with the
Earth’s atmosphere, then they create the auroras we see.

Auroras emit light in
red, green and blue or a combination of colors producing various shades
such as magenta and violet with more intense solar storms. Green is the
most common color, then violet. However, blue is rare. The colors
appear much stronger when viewed in a photograph as opposed to what we
can see with our naked eyes. I have often seen white light that looks
like a bright cloud, but discovered strong green light when using Live
View or reviewing the photographs on the LCD screen or computer. Take
photographs even if you think the auroras are dim or colorless because
you might be surprised!

Composition

Scout your location
in the daytime, looking in all directions and use a compass to pay
particular attention to the northeast to northwest, where auroras often
form. They can form an arc from the northwest to southeast.

While photographing,
you can chronicle the auroras as they change in shape, increase and
decrease in intensity. Various shapes are possible with arches,
curtains, circular curtains, vertical lines or the aurora corona. The
corona is seen as radiating lines coming out from a single point,
directly above.

Photograph Both Horizontal and Vertical

Colorful Night, Horizontal Composition
- My first inclination is to shoot vertical for auroras as they reach
overhead as streams of light into the sky. However, don’t forget to take
horizontal images too. Multiple colorful streams of auroras fill the
sky with the red and magenta colors above the green colors. The lights
occur at different distances from the Earth depending on the gasses
present with blue often the closest, then green with red above and the
farthest from Earth. Lake Myvatn, Iceland. f/3.5, 13 seconds, ISO 2500,
EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM at 16mm, Canon EOS 5D Mark III.

Colorful Night, Vertical Composition
- Both the vertical and horizontal compositions worked for this scene. I
set up one camera with a tripod photographing horizontally and set up a
time-lapse sequence to continuously photograph the scene with one
second between frames. Once that was set up, I used a second tripod and
camera to shoot vertical to vary the composition. f/4.0, 13 seconds, ISO
2500, EF 14mm f/2.8L II USM, Canon EOS-1D X.

Where to Photograph the Auroras?

Auroras typically
form 60 to 200 miles above the surface of Earth in a three to six degree
latitude band away from the South and North Poles, but can be seen in
the upper contiguous 48 states of the United States when there’s a big
solar flare. That being said, the active bands near the North Pole will
give you a much better chance of seeing auroras as they are present
about two-thirds of the year. The South Pole’s active band is in
Antarctica and not easily accessible. Only very intense solar storms can
be seen in Southern New Zealand, Falkland Islands, South Georgia and
South Sandwich Islands.

The best locations in
the United States are in Alaska, (Fairbanks, Coldfoot, Wiseman and
Barrow). Other good locations outside the United States include Tromsø,
Norway; Kiruna, Sweden; Whitehorse, Churchill and Yellowknife in Canada;
Kangerlussuaq and Tasiilaq, Greenland; Jökulsárlón, Lake Kleifarvatn
and Lake Myvatn in Iceland and Murmansk, Russia. Staying away from light
pollution and city lights helps improve aurora visibility.

Photograph of Aurora Band of Light
- These images show the prediction of the aurora in the three to six
degree latitude band near the North and South Poles, with the night side
of the earth being darker. (Credit: Newell, P. T., T. Sotirelis, and S.
Wing (2009), Diffuse, monoenergetic, and broadband aurora: The global
precipitation budget, J. Geophys. Res., 114, A09207)

When is it Best to Photograph the Auroras?

The months with the
highest activity are March and then September, followed by April and
October. Anytime between mid-April and mid-August has high potential,
but be aware that the long days during the summer months from May
through July do not get dark enough in the most common areas of aurora
activity. I’ve photographed with different conditions: in the fall,
when it is the warmest and auroras reflect in lakes that are not yet
frozen over; in winter with beautiful light reflecting snow-covered
landscapes; and in spring with melting water and possible snowy
foregrounds.

Sunspots and
resulting solar flares create the magnetic disturbance for the aurora
activity, but it isn’t the same every year. The sun is on an eleven-year
cycle of intense solar activity and the next big event is the year
2024, with above average solar activity continuing for several years
following. Don’t be discouraged from going any year.

What Time is Best to Photograph Auroras?

The auroras are most
active between 10 p.m. to 2 a.m., however, it is possible to see them
anytime it is dark enough. In the band of activity, twilight is
long-lasting and it is possible to see faint auroras an hour before or
after sunset and sunrise. After auroras disappear, wait for another
round, called an aurora substorm, to reoccur. Your patience may be
rewarded with a delightful light show!

Aurora Forecasts

Maximum aurora
intensity usually occurs two days following sunspots and their resulting
solar flares. The particles in solar winds take from one to three days
to reach the Earth’s atmosphere.

The sun rotates on
its axis every 27 to 28 days. Sunspots don’t always create the aurora,
but sunspots with aurora activity can reappear in 27 to 28 days for
another light display. Sunspots can be present for a few hours to many
months but may dissipate by the next sun cycle, making long term
forecasts not as accurate as current activity. Monitor the recorded
activity of your location 27 days prior to your trip or if you are able,
go 27 days after intense aurora activity.

Understanding Forecasts

The aurora activity
happens if the sun’s magnetic field interacts with the Earth’s field.
The NOAA Kp-Index provides the level of the Earth’s magnetic activity
and ranges from a value of zero with little to no activity to a value of
nine with extreme activity. The larger the number, the more colorful
and grandiose the light show, and the farther they can be seen from the
common aurora band.

Kp-Index Map -
The aurora KP prediction levels of 3, 5, 7 and 9 are shown with a map
overlay depicting how far away they will occur from the general aurora
band of activity. (Credit: NOAA/Space Weather Prediction Center).

Aurora Forecast Resources

• Aurora Forecast app
and other apps provide current night aurora predictions. Set up an app
to alert you when there is aurora activity in your area.

• NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center:
predicts the next 30 minutes of activity based on solar winds and is
updated every 30 seconds. In addition, there is a link for the three day
forecast.

University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute Aurora Prediction -
This prediction shows maps with the current and long-term forecasts.
(Credit: University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute)

Lenses

Wide-angle lenses
work best for photographing auroras and the large expanse of the night
sky while minimizing the movement of the stars. Both wide-angle and
telephoto lenses work for aurora with star trails. I recommend an f/2.8
or faster lens. Using an f/4.0 lens is possible, however you will need
bright auroras and there will be more noise from collecting less light,
resulting in a higher ISO.

Ultra wide focal
lengths from 14mm to 16mm work well when auroras fill the sky or fill
the frame overhead. Wide focal lengths from 24mm to 35mm work well when
the auroras are a curtain or stream, but not filling the sky. Excellent
f/2.8 or faster lenses include: 14mm, 15mm, 16-35mm, 24mm, 24-70mm and
35mm.

Corona and Lake -
The corona is when the aurora forms rays that give the appearance of
radiating out from a single center when looking overhead. This happens
when the auroras are high in the sky. The corona is in the upper right
area of the frame. The 14mm ultra wide-angle lens allowed for large
coverage of the sky. Lake Myvatn, Iceland. f/4.0, 13 seconds, ISO 1600,
EF 14mm f/2.8L II USM, Canon EOS-1D X.

Exposure Settings

Set the camera
exposure before you leave to go out photographing. A good starting point
is: f/2.8, ISO 1600 and the maximum shutter speed as determined by your
lens, such as 20 seconds. Reduce the shutter speed to five to ten
seconds or less to stop the movement of the auroras, as needed after
reviewing the image on the LCD screen. Sometimes they move faster and
sometimes slower, so the shutter speed will vary. Look for increased
detail and lines in the auroras.

With a narrower
aperture, such as f/2.8 instead of f/1.4, the image will typically
exhibit less chromatic aberration and be sharper across the frame. I
recommend using f/2.8 but use a wider f/1.4 aperture if the auroras are
dim or fast moving.

Finally, adjust the
ISO to create a good exposure at a desired shutter speed and aperture.
Starting with 1600 ISO however will vary depending on how bright the
auroras are that night. I recommend not going over 6400 ISO.

Use Live View to
review the RGB histogram before taking an exposure. Set your histogram
to RGB instead of Brightness View. In Brightness View you only know if
all three color-channels are clipped and with RGB you can see if the
individual red, green or blue channels are clipped. When making an
exposure, reduce exposure as needed to prevent a spike on the right side
of the histogram. Any clipping on the right will mean that you have
overexposed and lost detail highlights.

Be sure to have some
detail in the mid-tone and highlight areas of the histogram with auroras
and information into the far right bar of the histogram. This will
provide a good exposure. You can also turn on Highlight Alert to show
“blinkies” for overexposure as an extra precaution.

Do not use the LCD
screen to determine exposure because your eyes will adjust to the dim
light, making an underexposed image look good.

Working in Cold Weather

I have never had a
lens or camera stop working from the cold in minus F°except when frost
froze the controls or batteries got too cold. Keep gear functional by
keeping extra batteries warm in your pocket to conserve their power. To
stay warm, use chemical hand and toe warmers that have stickers. Put
them on your lens in freezing weather to prevent frost on the front
element of the lens and camera battery area. Use a lens hood to reduce
frost. They can easily be strapped to your gear with simply hook and
loop straps.

Protect your gear
from condensation and fogging by closing your camera bag, covering with
your coat and not opening it in a warm room or car until it comes up to
room temperature slowly.

Green Curtains
- The aurora formed curtains that waved in the sky, growing brighter
and then disappearing into the night. The half moon was not visible,
however it still provided light in the sky since it was close to the
horizon. The warm glow on the horizon is from ambient city lights.
Photographed at Lake Myvatn, Iceland. f/2.8, 4 seconds, ISO 1600, EF
24mm f/1.4L II USM, Canon EOS 5D Mark III.

Using Filters

Remove any filters
for aurora photography. Neutral density and polarizers will cause your
exposure to be longer and create more noise in your image. UV filters
will cause concentric rings in auroras that are impossible to remove in
post-processing.

Moonlight

The moonlight will
have different effects on your aurora photographs. While you can
photograph the aurora in any moon phase be aware that while a full moon
provides extra light on the landscape, it will also wash out auroras and
stars. A half moon provides plenty of light to fully light the
landscape, but allows you to see more stars and brighter auroras than
the full moon. A new moon, the phase of the moon when it is not visible
from earth, will allow for more intense colors and more visible stars,
but with a dark silhouetted landscape. With little to no moonlight and
strong aurora activity, the landscape can still be partially lit by the
light from auroras alone.

On Left: Moon Lit Crater and Aurora
- The half moon fully lit the crater. There are more stars in the sky
here than what you would see on a night with a full moon. f/2.0, 6
seconds, ISO 1600, EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM, Canon EOS 5D Mark III.

On Right: Mountain Lights
- The half moon has already set here. Notice how much darker the
mountains are in this image and how many more stars, versus the image on
the left. This is due to the moon setting about a half hour before
taking this photograph. In addition, the lights were not very strong and
only had a prediction level of one. Due to the low light, I used a
wider aperture of f/1.4 to funnel as much light as possible into the
camera and use a lower ISO setting. f/1.4, 10 seconds, ISO 1600, EF 24mm
f/1.4L II USM, Canon EOS 5D Mark II.